Volleyball in the rain

We are so spoiled in America whenever it rains. The second the skies turn grey and it begins to sprinkle, we grab our raincoats and rain boots and find shelter somewhere warm. We’ll call in sick from work or complain that we’d rather be curled up in bed reading a book. And it’s a bit ironic that we hide from the rain when we so dearly need it (at least in California).

Since being in Pohnpei, I’ve gotten caught in numerous rainstorms that come out of nowhere. I’ve come to gladly greet the rain, understanding its importance to the ecosystems on the island, and have tried not to worry about getting drenched. It’s bound to happen anyway.

As some Trainees and I were returning from a trip to a nearby waterfall earlier today, we passed by a basketball/volleyball court (I’ll explain) where a handful of neighborhood kids were playing. We had discovered the kids’ love for basketball yesterday when they kindly invited a few of the guys from our group to play with them. Fun fact: Pohnepians play barefoot! The guys who had been invited to join tried going barefoot, but ended up with gnarly blood blisters and torn feet by the end of the afternoon. Today, they came prepared to play with their tennis shoes on, and we joked that while it’s usually jerseys vs. skins, in Pohnpei it’s shoes vs. bare feet. While those guys were playing basketball on one side of the court, there was also a volleyball game going on midcourt (the volleyball net in the middle of the court could not be moved, so everyone was making do). When some of the kids saw us walking back from the waterfall, they invited us girls to join their game. We happily accepted, hoping for a similar bonding experience with the local Pohnpeians that the guys from our group had had yesterday playing basketball.

Let me just say this. The kids were badass volleyball players. Especially this little girl… who may have been 7 or 8? She came up to my waist, but would send the ball flying and leave us standing there in shock wondering where all that power came from. They put us Trainees to shame.

They also seemed very mature for their age. They’d say things like “Do you want to serve?” “No, no, it’s the other teams ball,” and “good teamwork!” Say what?! I don’t think I know any kid back home who shares that well and is so willing to play with someone much, much older than them!

On top of that, one of the girls on our team started giggling and dancing with another Trainee and I whenever we scored a point. I said it…dancing!! What 14 year old do you know that dances goofy with 20 something year olds that they just met?! Regardless, it put the biggest smiles on our faces and warmed our hearts. These kids were awesome. We suddenly understood what the guys were raving about after their basketball game yesterday. It didn’t matter that we came from different cultures, that we looked completely different, and spoke different languages. We were all having fun at the same time, and that is one of the greatest bonding opportunities there is. Well, until it rains.

Then it becomes even better.

The rain quickly turned from a light sprinkle to a heavy downpour as we were on the volleyball court, probably on our 4^th or 5^th game. One of the Pohnpeian girls on our team looked at another Trainee and I and asked, “Do you still want to play in the rain?” We responded that we’d still love to play and you could tell she was thrilled. We continued playing in the rain for quite some time, laughing, dancing, and forgetting cultural differences. We were all drenched by the end of it, but ask any of us where we’ll be tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll say on the volleyball court, playing with the locals and hoping it rains.

Screw umbrellas,

Rachel